A Death in Flames
by Pyradeath
Summary: Written for a Tumbr user named lord-of-the-vampatease. So how did the whole Coffin of Fire thing really play out? Rated T for tons of blood, mentions of death, Steve's potty mouth, and just for safety's sake. I DO NOT OWN CIRQUE DU FREAK OR ANY CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY EXCEPT FOR SIOBAHN. The only thing I own is the plot. Steve/Gannen with a hint of Darren/Steve.


OTP: Stannen

Fandom: Cirque Du Freak

Prompt: Fainting, non-comedy

For: the-lord-of-the-vampatease

A Death in Flames

Blue eyes stared down at pale hands with a singular scar on the tip of every finger. Those scars had been given to him by Gannen- a friend, and maybe more. _No, no no- just a friend, just like Darren, no not like Darren, Darren is not your friend anymore, Darren is a traitor, Gannen is not, Gannen is here, Gannen is- _"My lord?" A voice asked.

Steve rose from his place on the floor and turned to the vampaneze in the doorway. He did not know his name. Somehow, he felt that he should. _No matter, I will soon. Once we get the Stone of Blood, I will know them all. _"Yes?" He asked, calm as the eye of a hurricane in spite of the fear which made his thoughts go haywire.

"It is time." Gannen came in, standing beside the other vampanese. Steve walked with them, and then, when the unknown vampaneze turned to the hall containing the Coffin of Fire, he followed Gannen to a small bathroom. He could smell the bitter copper of human blood, and stepped over human corpses, Gannen's hand on his shoulder. He stood at the foot of the tub, unsure.

He felt eyes upon him, and suddenly he was in the circus, and _'Your blood is evil', _and _'I will never turn you'_, and that was the night he was betrayed by his closest friend, the brother he never had. And Darren had acted almost normal, like he wasn't a traitor, like he hadn't broken his family's heart. "You do not have to do this, Steven." The voice cut through his thoughts as easily as his nails cut through the skin on his palms as he balled his hands into fists.

He turned, angry, and met the crimson gaze. "Yes I do, Gannen, and don't try to stop me!" He responded, practically hissing. He reached up and angrily tore his dingy t-shirt, and stepping out of his shoes. Gannen huffed and reached for his belt while he struggled with his left shoe. Through their combined efforts, they managed to get the blond undressed, and into the dingy tub of blood.

Gannen reached for a bowl of pre-prepared herbs. "My lord," he began, while dusting Steve's hair with the herbs. "I was not attempting to stop you. It is simply that you do not _have _to do this." He picked up a bowl and filled it with the blood, holding it just in front of Steve's lips.

"Yes, I do. I have to prove myself. For- for the future, for- for revenge, and for"…he glanced up, meeting the familiar red eyes. _Don't tell. Don't tell, you can't tell, if you do you'll- _"for you." _Goddamnit Steve, this is why no one wants you, you just can't keep your Goddamned mouth sh-_

"No." The bowl was pulled back from him. Gannen sat easily on the side of the tub, as seemingly comfortable as if they were speaking of some of the old rights in his room. "No one is forcing you into this. You have nothing to prove by doing it, and you do not ever need to risk your life for me. To do it for you yourself is a good thing, but to do it for some vengeance? Steven, my lord, you are already hailed as the Lord of the Vampaneze. This, all of this, is simply a useless and unnecessary formality to me."

He found that he could not meet the eyes of the one who had blooded him for once- it had never happened before, and he was not sure that he enjoyed the feeling of shame. "But I have to make you proud. And you're not every one- all the others will strip away what I've taken if I don't." Quite suddenly, Steve was grateful for the swiftly clotting, cool blood surrounding and coating him in sickening slime, as it hid the flush of his face. Gannen said nothing, but he did not bring the bowl any closer, and after a few minutes, he simply could not stand it any longer. His eyes snapped up to Gannen's once again, and he reached out his hand for the bowl.

"Are you going to finish this? Or do I need to call someone else?"

Abruptly, purple hands with crimson claws held the bowl to his lips. "Know that I am already proud, and that I am more worried about the possibility of you being harmed for my sake than of any pretended failure." As Steve swallowed the liquid through gritted teeth, Gannen called for a witness.

Another vampaneze, this one by the name of Siobahn, entered with a towel. Her hair was pulled back in a severe style, and she spoke even as Gannen helped him out of the bath.

"Do you agree to serve the will of the Vampaneze in all things, if you become our lord?"

"I do." He wrapped the towel around his blood-soaked waist, and stood by his mentor's side.

"Do you agree to die before surrendering to an enemy who is not a fellow Vampaneze?" She asked, cold and clipped.

"I do."

"Do you agree to face all challenges with honor, and to end this war with the vampires by either success or truce?"

"I do." The chill of the cold floor seeped into his bones, and he felt the cold finger of Destiny scratch down his spine.

"And lastly, do you agree that in any vengeance that does not involve the entire race of the Vampaneze, you will work alone?"

He took a deep breath, beyond ready to continue. Only the fact that she was the one who would decide whether or not he could even try to finish this kept him from snapping at her. He felt Gannen's hand on his shoulder and it steadied his whirling thoughts. "I do agree."

She nodded then. "You have answered sufficiently, and there has been a witness. Gannen, do you agree that he is ready? You are his mentor."

Those eyes of crimson met his again. "Yes, I do agree."

Siobhan bowed respectfully, and then opened the door fully. "Are you ready?"

"Hell yes." He heard Gannen sigh, and knew that if he survived this, he would be getting a lecture on when and when not to use colloquial language. He entered another room, this one larger, with a large coffin in the center. _This is my life or this is my death._

"The blood you have consumed this night and water is all you have partaken of in three days. Should you survive, you will be free to eat all you wish". He heard her words, but couldn't care less, more focused on the surprisingly gentle hand around his shoulders, slowly walking him to the coffin. The female stopped a few feet away, while Gannen continued on with him.

After Steve had been laid down on his back and made as comfortable as possible in the infamous coffin of fire, his mentor leaned forward and placed a kiss on his brow. He stiffened in minor shock, and then all was dark as the coffin's lid was shut.

_How am I supposed to sleep in this thing? _He wondered, trying to keep himself from asking why Gannen had kissed him, why all the questions had to be asked, and if Darren was going through something similar. Eventually, he did sleep, and he dreamt of flames.

A creak worked its way into his dreams, and suddenly he was awake and staring into Gannen's relieved face. Wordlessly, he helped him out of the coffin, and stood him up on his feet. There was complete and total silence until his mentor cried "all hail the Lord of the Vampaneze"! Suddenly, complete and utter chaos reigned, howling Vampaneze cheered like old Mr. Dalton at a baseball game, and he was kissed, quite thoroughly, by his Gannen. "Never do this again," he snarled when he had to pull away for air.

"I'll do whatever I damn well please." He stated in his usual off-handedly sarcastic manner. And he quite promptly fainted.


End file.
